ICE arrested a California union leader. Does Trump understand what that means?

Unions in California are different from those in other places.
More than any state in our troubled country, their ranks are filled with people of color and immigrants. While unions have always been tied closely with the struggles of civil rights, that has become even more pronounced in the years since George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis.
In the subsequent national soul-searching, unions were forced to do a bit of their own. But where that conversation has largely broken down for general society under the pressure of President Trump's right-wing rage, it took hold inside of unions to a much greater degree — leading to more leadership from people of color, sometimes younger leadership and definitely an understanding from the rank and file that these are organizations that fight far beyond the workplace.
Which is why the arrest of David Huerta, president of SEIU-USWW and SEIU California, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday is going to have a major impact on the coming months as deportations continue.
'They have woke us up,' Tia Orr told me Saturday morning. She's the executive director of the 700,000-strong Service Employees International Union California, of which Huerta is a part, and the first African American and Latina to lead the organization.
'And I think they've woke people up across the nation, certainly in California, and people are ready to get to action,' she added. 'I haven't seen that in a long time. I don't know that I've seen something like that before, and so yes, it is going to result in action that I believe is going to be historical.'
While unions have voiced their disapproval of mass deportations since the MAGA threat first manifested, their might has not gone full force against them, taking instead a bit of a wait-and-see approach.
Well, folks, we've seen. We've seen the unidentified masked men rounding up immigrants across the country and shipping them into life sentences at torturous foreign prisons; we've watched a 9-year-old Southern California boy separated from his father and detained for deportation; and Friday, across Los Angeles, we saw an anonymous military-style force of federal agents sweep up our neighbors, family members and friends in what seemed to be a haphazard and deliberately cruel way.
And for those of you who have watched the video of Huerta's arrest, we've seen a middle-aged Latino man in a plaid button-down be roughly pushed by authorities in riot gear until he falls backward, and seems to strike his head on the curb. Huerta was, according to a television interview with Mayor Karen Bass, pepper-sprayed as well. Then he was taken to the hospital for treatment, then into custody, where he remains until a Monday arraignment.
U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli wrote on social media that 'Federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite this morning when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle. He was arrested for interfering with federal officers ... Let me be clear: I don't care who you are—if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted. No one has the right to assault, obstruct, or interfere with federal authorities carrying out their duties.'
I have covered protests, violent and nonviolent, for more than two decades. In one of the first such events I covered, I watched an iconic union leader, Bill Camp, sit down in the middle of the road in a Santa suit and refuse to move. Police arrested him. But they managed to do it without violence, and without Camp's resistance. This is how unions do good trouble — without fear, without violence.
Huerta understands the rules and power of peaceful protest better than most. The union he is president of — SEIU United Service Workers West — started the Justice for Janitors campaign in 1990, a bottom-up movement that in Los Angeles was mostly powered by the immigrant Latina women who cleaned commercial office space for wages as low as $7 an hour.
After weeks of protests, police attacked those Latina workers in June of that year in what became known as the 'Battle of Century City.' Two dozen workers were injured but the union did not back down. Eventually, it won the contracts it was seeking, and equally as important, it won public support.
Huerta joined USWW a few years after that incident, growing the Justice for Janitors campaign. The union was and has always been one powered by immigrant workers who saw that collective power was their best power, and Huerta has led decades of building that truth into a practical force. He is, says Orr, an organizer who knows how to bring people together.
To say he is a beloved and respected leader in both the union and California in general is an understatement. You can still find his bio on the White House website, since he was honored as a 'Champion of Change,' by President Obama. Within hours of his arrest, political leaders across the state were voicing support.
'David Huerta is a respected leader, a patriot, and an advocate for working people. No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action,' Gov. Gavin Newsom posted online.
Perhaps more importantly, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, speaking for her 15 million members, issued a statement.
Huerta 'was doing what he has always done, and what we do in unions: putting solidarity into practice and defending our fellow workers,' she said. 'The labor movement stands with David and we will continue to demand justice for our union brother until he is released.'
Similar statements came from the Teamsters and other unions. Solidarity isn't a buzzword to unions. It's the bedrock of their power. In arresting Huerta, that solidarity has been supercharged. Already, union members from across the state are making plans to gather Monday for Huerta's arraignment in downtown Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Stephen Miller, the Santa Monica native and architect of Trump's deportation plans, has said the raids we are seeing now are just the beginning, and that he would like to see thousands of arrests every day, because our immigrant communities are filled with 'every kind of criminal thug that you can imagine on planet earth.'
But in arresting Huerta, the battleground has been redrawn in ways we don't fully yet appreciate. No doubt, Miller will have his way and the raids will not only continue, but increase.
But also, the unions are not going to back down.
'Right now, just in the last 14 hours, labor unions are joining together from far and wide, communities are reaching out in ways I've never seen,' Orr told me. 'Something is different.'
Rosa Parks was just a woman on a bus, she pointed out, until she was something more. George Floyd was just another Black man stopped by police. Until he was something more.
Huerta is the something more of these immigration raids — not because he's a union boss, but because he's a union organizer with ties to both people in power and people in fear.
The coming months will show what happens when those two groups decide, together, that backing down is not an option.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

New York Post

2 hours ago

• New York Post

NYC socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a fan of abolishing SHSAT

Socialist NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani once pushed to abolish the city's admissions test for Gotham's elite public high schools because he thought it was racist, The Post has learned. The Queens assemblyman – who is second only to ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in most polls heading into Tuesday's Democratic mayoral primary – hasn't said much about the topic on the campaign beyond telling Chalkbeat last week he'd support an independent study of the Specialized High Schools Admission Test for signal out gender and racial bias. However, when asked by the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club in February 2022 to describe legislation and policy changes he supports to address 'the ongoing effect of slavery, racism, colonialism and discrimination' Mamdani – a former specialized test tutor – singled out spiking the SHSAT. Advertisement 'As a graduate of Bronx Science, I have personally witnessed just how segregated New York City public schools are, especially our specialized high school,' he said at the time. Socialist NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani once advocated for abolishing the city's controversial admissions test for Gotham's elite public high schools because he feels it's too racist. Paul Martinka 'I support measures to integrate our public schools and fully fund our education system, including the abolition of the SHSAT.' Advertisement The SHSAT under state law is the sole criteria for entry into the city's eight elite public high schools, including Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the favorite to win the Democratic mayoral nomination, has long supported keeping the SHSAT. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said the ex-gov has been and 'continues to be in favor to keep the exam is.' Former far-left Mayor Bill de Blasio tried twice to change the law while Cuomo ran the state, failing both times. Advertisement His chosen chancellor, Richard Carranza, once called the elite high schools 'the epicenter of privilege,' citing a lack of black and Latino representation. Reps for Mamdani did not return messages.

USA Today

5 hours ago

• USA Today

Latino senator claps back at JD Vance for wrongly calling him 'José'

The vice president incorrectly referred to Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, as "José Padilla" during a press conference in Los Angeles. WASHINGTON – Sen. Alex Padilla had strong words for JD Vance after the vice president erroneously referred to the Democrat as "José." "He knows my name," Padilla said on MSNBC's "The Weekend" on June 21. The comments, Padilla went on, were "just an indicator of how petty and unserious this administration is." Padilla was the first Latino elected to the U.S. Senate from the state of California. Vance, who served with Padilla in the Senate, made the remark at a press conference the previous day during a trip to Los Angeles meant to defend the Trump administration's military response to protests over changes to immigration policies. Read more: Vance defends using military to quell protests, refers to Sen. Alex Padilla as 'José' "I was hoping José Padilla would be here to ask a question, but unfortunately, I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't the theater, and that's all it is," Vance said. Read more: Sen. Alex Padilla handcuffed and forcibly removed from Kristi Noem's LA press conference On June 12, Padilla was handcuffed and forcibly removed from a press conference being held by Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary. Democrats condemned the incident and demanded an investigation. The Trump administration defended the actions of Noem's security detail that day and accused Padilla of engaging in political theater.

Axios

8 hours ago

• Axios

LA Dodgers to donate $1M to help immigrants hit by ICE raids

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced it will donate $1 million to assist immigrant families recently affected by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the Los Angeles area. Why it matters: The announcement came after the reigning World Series champions had come under criticism earlier this month for failing to speak out against the ICE raids and for unsuccessfully pressuring a singer not to perform a Spanish version of the national anthem at a Dodgers game. It also came on the heels of a petition signed by a group of activists, faith and labor leaders, urging the team to speak out more. Zoom in: The Dodgers said the team will commit $1 million toward assistance for families of immigrants affected by the recent events in the city. The team also announced plans for further initiatives, which are set to be unveiled in the coming days. It was the first public response to the immigration raids that have struck Los Angeles over the last two weeks. What they're saying: "What's happening in Los Angeles has reverberated among thousands upon thousands of people, and we have heard the calls for us to take a leading role on behalf of those affected," Stan Kasten, Dodgers president & CEO, said in a statement. "We believe that by committing resources and taking action, we will continue to support and uplift the communities of Greater Los Angeles. LA Mayor Karen Bass thanked the Dodgers in the same team statement. "These last weeks have sent shockwaves of fear rippling through every neighborhood and have had a direct impact on our economy. My message to all Angelenos is clear: We will stick together during this time and we will not turn our backs on one another," she said. Context: Protests broke out earlier this month near a Home Depot in the LA County city of Paramount, after ICE agents carried out a deportation operation targeting day laborers. The Trump administration then ordered National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to quell protests over the objections of local and state officials. The event generated solidarity protests by Latinos in other cities, from Houston to Atlanta. State of play: Latino fans — especially Mexican Americans — comprise a large percentage of the Dodgers' fan base, a trend that has been ongoing since the late 1980s, when Mexican-born left-handed pitcher Fernando Valenzuela played for the team. The initial lack of response from the Dodgers has angered many Latino fans who have protested outside the stadium and posted social media photos of ICE and Border Patrol agents near the Dodgers' grounds. Other LA-area professional teams, including LAFC and Angel City FC, issued statements about "fear and uncertainty" being felt throughout the city. The intrigue: The Dodgers said on Thursday that they refused to grant ICE access around the stadium before their game with the San Diego Padres, another team with a large Mexican American fan base. "This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots. They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Tonight's game will be played as scheduled," the Dodgers posted on X. Yes, but: ICE denied on X that agents were at Dodger Stadium. "False. We were never there," ICE posted. posted on X.